Pompeii and Herculaneum

1. Pompeii and Herculaneum • Issues of conservation and reconstruction: Italian and international contributions and responsibilities; impact of tourism

2. Explain some of the problems facing the archaeological sites at Pompeii and Herculaneum.

3. The Destruction of the Site • Exposure • Pollution • Forces of Nature • Poor Restoration and Conservation • Vandalism • WW II • Tourism • Crime Syndicates

4. Exposure • Once exposed the site began to deteriorate • Exposure to light, wind, damp, air

5. Pollution • Acid rain • Airborn gritty particles • Carbon • Oil droplets • Bacteria causes discolouration • Abrasion • Corrosion

6. Forces of nature • Strong sunlight leads to deterioration of frescoes • Rain runs down exposed walls and pools on mosaic floors • Algae, lichen weeds, roots lift mosaic floor tiles • Ivy clings to walls and attempts to remove it cause walls to crumble • Excreta from birds is corrosive on metal. • Pigeons peck at timber • Earthquake 23rd Nov, 1980, then a series 1983-85

12. Poor Restoration and Conservation • Use of softwood instead of seasoned hardwood to replace lintels over doors led to rotting, mould, termites. • Rusting of iron in reinforced concrete used in mid 20th century led to structures collapsing. • New timber roof on the House of Meleager could not hold the weight of tiles and collapsed. • Steel built roof at House of the Atrium in Herculaneum collapsed • Modern concrete, plaster and mortar contain more salt than the ancient material

13. Vandalism • 1977 someone cut 14 frescoes from walls in the House of Gladiators • 1977-1992 nearly 600 items were stolen from Pompeii. • 1990 armed robbers stole 250 artefacts from a storeroom at Herculaneum including the gold rings and bracelet from one of the skeletons studied by Sarah Bisel.

15. World War II • Allied bombing in 1943 destroyed part of the site.

16. Tourism • Millions of tourists trample the site: over mosaics, pavements and wear them down, expose lead pipes. • Via dell’ Abbondanza footpath has worn to the same level as the street in places. • Hot humid breath and camera flash deteriorates frescoes. • Rubbish • Fragments of marble and pottery collected as souvenirs • Graffiti • Oil from hands from touching objects

19. Crime Syndicates • The Camorra force local merchants to pay “protection money” • There is a suggestion they have infiltrated the ranks of the site guards. • July 9, 2000: 12,000 tourists banned from entering the site due to a guards’ strike • Sep 2000: Fire set in the western sector of Pompeii near the House of Iphegenia

20. In 1986 Henri de Saint-Blanquet referrred to problems in Pompeii in the following terms: • “Its second death” • “A major archaeological disaster”

21. EvaluateItalian and International contributions to conservation at Pompeii and Herculaneum.

22. Evaluate - make a judgement based on criteria; determine the value of. • Successful • Highly successful • Some progress is being made • Evidence is tangible • Problems are ongoing • Progress is difficult • Has had an enormous impact • Work is being done at present • Some success

23. Conservation Efforts • Herculaneum Conservation Project and British School in Rome • Anglo-American Projectin Region VI • ItalianGovernment • Region I – Dutch, Spanish, Italian and British • World Monuments Fund and the Kress Foundation (New York)

24. Herculaneum Conservation Project • From 2001, the Packard Humanities Institute and the British School in Rome have worked with the Soprintendenza Archaeologica di Pompeii and Italian consultants. • Emergency tasks to become regular programs of maintenance • Pigeon problem: remove nests and block entry into structures with netting and use of falcons. • Water due to poor drainage: erect roofing; studying ways of improving drainage; further studies being done in Suburban baths.

25. Carbonised wood deteriorated due to being soaked in preservative solution mainly of wax which melted and left wood unprotected. Laboratory trials to find a method to remove wax, substitute it with better protective agent and stabilize wood. • Excavation of pre AD79 level in Insula Orientales I. • Archival research and cataloguing; digitise information; results helped in conservation decision making. • Frescoes will be stabilised as walls dry out. Salt encrustations will be removed and paintings restored

26. Anglo-American Project • Established the Pompeii Trust in 2002 to support conservation work in Pompeii. • Work in Region VI, Insula I – includes House of the Vestals, House of the Surgeon. • Focus on conservation as well as excavations. • Stratigraphic excavations. Team made up of biologists, computer drafting experts, ceramic and painting specialists. • Gained information about life over 5 centuries: diet of fish, animal bones and egg shells. • According to Rick Jones: “demands of conservation, communication and research are all connected. Before conservation work can begin, monuments must be documented.

27. Italian Government • 1997: Soprintendenza given financial autonomy. The Italian government introduced a new policy toward management of sites in Pompeii area. All admission fees and tourist revenue was to be kept in the Soprintendenza’s budget. • Increased revenue for site management and conservation. Visible signs of success in new signs, leaflets, audio guides. House of Menander and Vettii being conserved using new technology. • Policy change: Soprintendenza Guzzo can seek private investment. European Union contributes 30million Euros for a 5 yr program. • Moratorium on excavating new areas. • University of Bologna worked in the House of the Centenary.

28. Dutch, Spanish, Italian and British • Region I: Systematic plan to construct a detailed picture of history and life of that area. • Dutch: study pattern of roads and insulae. • Spanish: layout of early pre-Roman city; charting its expansion. • Italian: reexamining construction history of Insula I.4 and House of Lyre Player. Shops and craft work shops added to the Insula after AD62. • British: established that the Insula was 1st inhabited by Etruscans in 6th century BC.

29. World Monuments Fund and Kress Foundation • 2003: New York- these 2 foundations sponsored a meeting that brought together a range of archaeologists, conservators, architects and other specialists in Pompeii to compare ideas and long term management and conservation plans. They are working on the House of the Silver Wedding.

31. Report in The Sun Herald, 6/7/08 • The Italian government declared a state of emergency at the Pompeii archaeological site yesterday to try to rescue one of the world’s most important cultural treasures from decades of neglect. • A cabinet statement said it would appoint a special commissioner for Pompeii. • “To call the situation intolerable doesn’t go far enough,” said Culture Minister Sandro Bondi. • Archaeologists and art historians have long complained about the poor upkeep of Pompeii.

32. Debates • Andrew Wallace-Hadrill • Robert Fowler

33. Website Resources • www.herculaneum.ox.ac.uk/ • www.archaeology.org/online/news/mob.html • http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7490735.stm